Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: TUESDAY, March 12, 1991 TAG: 9103120328
SECTION: NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL PAGE: A-8 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: Associated Press
DATELINE: LOS ANGELES LENGTH: Medium
Shootings and rioting arrived with the weekend release of the Warner Bros. film, based on the life of Harlem drug lord Nickie Barnes. A man was killed in New York, and disturbances erupted in Chicago, New Jersey, Nevada and Los Angeles.
Warner Bros. spokesman Robert Friedman said "less than a half dozen" theaters had pulled the film. They included a Los Angeles marquee where 1,500 people rioted Friday night and a New York City theater, but he gave no further specifics.
"Ninety-nine percent of the American theaters had no problems whatsoever," he said. "Unfortunately, where youths get together there are often problems."
Towers Theatre and Valley View Cinema in Roanoke are showing the movie, but theater officials reported no violence when asked Monday night about crowd reaction. The movie has been well-attended, the officials said.
"New Jack City" placed second in the weekend box office tally, behind "The Silence of the Lambs," with an impressive $7 million-plus in receipts on only 862 screens.
The movie stars Wesley Snipes as a flashy and ruthless crack dealer. Rap artist Ice-T, Judd Nelson and director Mario Van Peebles play policemen out to destroy his drug empire. The drug dealer is eventually brought to justice, but is not punished. Instead, a citizen takes the law into his own hands.
Peebles insisted the film doesn't incite violence and in fact is an anti-gang movie.
But Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Sgt. William Reed disagreed: "It's the type of movie that will draw the gangs to it." Las Vegas officers arrested 15 people after a Friday fight in a theater showing the movie.
Staff writer Ron Brown also contributed to this story.
by CNB